How to lift the car up to go underneath?

[cyrusyn]

Bought a 2-ton trolley jack from Sears. I am trying to lift up the front tires.

I thought it would be o.k. to put the jack right under the side skirt but realized that it wasn't part of the chassis. Bought and read the FSM and realized that the jack points and stand points are way too far from side skirt for a short trolley jack to crowl all the way in and for it too lift up. Judging from the distance from side skirt to the jack and stand points, I felt like more than 3 ton jack is needed due to the shorter distance between the jack/stand points and the center of gravity of the car.

And then I saw some pictures of other peoples cars in the middle of swaps and many of them had trolley jacks placed pretty close to the side skirt.

How can I use this 2 ton trolley jack to lift the car up before I go back to Sears and spend $100 more on the professional floor jack?

Another question... Many jacks has minimum height of 5 inches and more. Many 240sx got lowered below 5 inches thanks to suspension swaps. If your car is lower than 5 inches from the ground, what kind of floor jack do you use or what do you do besides spending 5 digit figure to install a hole lift in your garage?

[navysnail]

build little ramps for your car for an extra lift, only use them on the tires your lifting though. you can jack it on the pinch weld if you must, although i wouldnt recomend it. a normal jack will reach with plenty of room under the rear differential or the point up on front

[cyrusyn]

Normal jack? I don't know what the normal jack is like.

[hannibal]

I used a floor jack on the pinch weld just behind the factory jack point. I put the jackstands right on the factory jack point.When I was jacking it up, hte rear wheel started to come off the ground. Next time, I'll put the floor jack on the factory jack point and put the jackstands under the car on the frame rails. Hopefully, that'll keep the back end on the ground. Ive seen some pics with the stands on the frame rail. I think its much safer than the pinch seam.

[BadMojo]

I've actually got a 3-ton SUV jack that I use on my 240SX. My car isn't lowered, but it fits under there just fine. It's a bit of a tight squeeze getting it past the engine undercover in the front, but that thing is flexible and I can just push the jack past it from the front.

Use the crossmember in the front (big thick hunk of steel) and the diff in the rear.

Don't forget to always use your jackstands and wheel chocks so you don't get smooshed.

For most anything but suspension work, I just use some cheap Rhino Ramps. It's easier and quicker than using a jack.

[Axel Grungy]

ive got ramps but my car is too low to use them. i just either slide the jack under the front crossmember or the diffy, sometimes i will use the frame rails. the ramps come in handy tho, i will use them instead of jack stands alot

[cyrusyn]

Do you think a 2 ton trolley jack can lift under the frame rail without getting damaged? Stuff like a scissor jack sure will be damaged if lifting a spot close to the center of the gravity of the car.

[bcar240]

I have ramps but my car is also too low to use them. I have to use boards to extend the ramp distance so I don't scrape the bumper. They are useful, but I get about 6" max.

[DAEDALUS]

Do you think a 2 ton trolley jack can lift under the frame rail without getting damaged? Stuff like a scissor jack sure will be damaged if lifting a spot close to the center of the gravity of the car.

If your car weighs less than 2 tons then you can use a 2-ton jack at any point on the vehicle and you shouldn't have to worry about damaging the jack. The load cannot be more than the weight of the vehicle, regardless of your lift point.

[cyrusyn]

Thanks, everyone!

[Kienai]

Does anyone have a pictures of where the jackstand is exactly suppose to go? I actually had the same question in mind but I guess cyrusyn beat me to it.. So lift the sides one at a time or? .....

[sanioll]

Just get some expensive, good quality jack. go to advance auto parts, autozone or Pep Boys to grab one. Trust me, better hydralyc jack makes a big difference.

Heres a screenshots of 91-93 S13 manual:

[navysnail]

think about this: when you jack up a vehicle, you are trusting your life on the jack and jack stands, never use one without the other, and also dont just use the jack that is in your trunk, those are weak and can fail relatively easilly

would you go rappeling with clothsline, yeah it should technically hold 150lbs, but i wouldnt trust it 100ft off the ground

[GnarKiller]

i just use the tow hook on the rear to jack up the rear its alot easier to get to..i usually jack the front up from the support right under the radiator yes i know its not as safe but the support can handle the weight of the car its so hard to get the jacks way up under the car like in teh diagram. and when you do it takes so long to get it up in the air.

Zach

[Ligouri Rd]

Quote »Do you think a 2 ton trolley jack can lift under the frame rail without getting damaged?[/quote]Those "frame rails" are not lift or support points. If you try to lift or support the car on those they will get damaged. You should see what mine look like after a couple of lifts. Lift at the recommended jack points, just inside of the pinch welds or under the front suspension. Support the car under the front suspension also.

[DAEDALUS]

Aren't those the frame rails that are called out as "Safety stand points" in the picture above? All above ground 2-post lifts I've seen lift cars by their frames.

[240DRFT]

you ca

build little ramps for your car for an extra lift, only use them on the tires your lifting though. you can jack it on the pinch weld if you must, although i wouldnt recomend it. a normal jack will reach with plenty of room under the rear differential or the point up on front

you could either build or buy the ramps...i've seen them at local autoparts stores

[andrave]

the frame rails are reinforced on the ends, this is the area labeled as "safety stand points"it is ok to jack there if you have to, though its better off if you stick to the recommended lift points. Do not use safety stands or jacks anywhere else along the rail. the metal is rather thin and will be crunched.It is also safe to jack pretty much anywhere along the subframe in the rear if you just want to lift one side. I use the subframe mount because my car is too low to fit jacks under the frame rails anymore.